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Robyn Lydick
Staff Writer
Deconstruction of a Titan I missile silo south of Bennett should begin this summer.
Sue Errett, Army base realignment and closure environmental coordinator, said at the Former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range Reclamation Advisory Board meeting Jan. 21 that Titan Complex 2-A should be razed over the summer and the land for sale by winter.
The property, located at the corner of Brick-Center Road and Hawley Avenue in Arapahoe County is surrounded by a housing development, Denver East Ranchettes.
A supplemental environmental assessment will be filed in June.
УThe basis for the environmental assessment is the same as the 1990 with a few additional requirements like historical documentation and endangered species impact,Ф Errett said. УThis is the last such facility in government hands and will record its history as a significant artifact of the Cold War.Ф
The National Parks Service will help in documenting the siteТs history as a missile silo.
The Titans were installed in 1958. The 848th Strategic Missile Squadrons was active from February 1960 to June 1965. The 849th Strategic Missile Squadron was active from August 1960 to June of 1965. The 848th became the 724th SMS. Today, the 849th is known as the 725th SMS.
The Titan, made by the Glenn Martin Company, now Lockheed-Martin (which also bought General Dynamics, builder of the Altas that was retired at the same time), was retired as ground-launch missiles were developed. The Titan I had to be brought to the surface for firing.
Titan sites are spread across the bombing range and complex 2-B is in Deer Trail. Complex 2-C is south of Elizabeth. The last missiles were removed April 14, 1965.
Any needed remedial actions will start in the summer.
The property will be sold through a public sale in the winter of 2004-05.
In October, workers removed asbestos from the entry tunnel and verified that no transformers remained on the site. They also re-sampled standing water in the site.
Three ground water monitoring wells were installed and soil was tested for petroleum and solid volatile organic contamination and thallium contamination.
УOur samples showed there was no thallium there,Ф Errett said.
A full report is expected in April as part of the draft engineering evaluation and cost analysis for site closure.
Clearance continues at three sites on the range.
The Air Education Training Center has two grids waiting for quality control and 226 grids remain to be cleared of 670.
One live item has been found since September.
At the Jeep/Demo range, four grids have been completed since the November RAB meeting. Workers cleared 22 grids at Bomb Target 6, which is now 24 percent clear.
Jerry Hodgson, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representative and RAB co-chair, said the range clearance will be featured in 10 professional papers given at two conferences for unexploded ordinance professionals and sustainable range management.
Funding is a constant concern at the Lowry project.
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Rep Tom Tancredo both sent letters in support of increasing annual support to $12 million.
For the past year and budgeted for 2004, the project received $8 million.
Guaranteed fixed-price remediation was discussed again.
Lt. Gen. Robert Flowers assured Sen. Wayne Allard in a letter that Lowry would remain a test location for fixed-price remediation, Hodgson said.
Allard had written Flowers requesting that cleanup go on without interruption through any negotiations.
Hodgson is clear about his opinions on fixed-price remediation.
УIf it can reduce the cost expedite schedules and keep the quality level, great,Ф he said. УIf it canТt do that it is not worth considering.Ф
Lowry would be a test site for the financing scheme.
УI continue to wage the common-sense battle,Ф Hodgson said. УBut I have pressure from higher up in the Army.Ф
The pricing is still in discussion stages, stressed Jeff Swanson from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
УThis is only a place to start discussions from,Ф he said. УNothing is policy. ItТs fairly comprehensive but some of it is pretty far down in the weeds.Ф
Before any contractor came in to bid, the Army would have to decide if bids would be fence-to-fence of specific sites.
УYou canТt come out with 12 areas of concern and expect the rest of the range goes away,Ф Swanson said.
Also at issue is the fact that the Army and the Air Force oversee different parts of the range.
УA contractor would have to get permission constantly to go across the street to the Air Force side,Ф Hodgson said.
УReally, this is just a concept,Ф Swanson said. УThe Corps isnТt saying СWe want to do this or need to do that.ТФ
The next RAB meeting is 6 p.m., March 17, at the Aurora Public Library.
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